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Mindful Mandala – Rows 16 – 24

The rounds are getting larger, the stitches are getting more complicated, the pattern is becoming more intricate… but it is the insight I’m gaining that is developing into so much more than I could have ever hoped for.

The intent behind my Mindful Mandala project was supposed to be all about me – getting more in touch with why I love to crochet and hopefully more in touch with my place in the universe or whatever higher level of being or not being that you happen to relate to. I made a plan to pick my Osho Zen Tarot card for color inspiration and a focal point for some meditation and deep thought. The point of view I’ve been trying to adopt is one where I ‘take a step back’ when I’m feeling overwhelmed or stressed and try to appreciate the gift of Existence.

So what happens when I take a few more steps back and ‘be in someone else’s moment‘?

Shift your thinking – that’s an easy enough thing to practice. For this session of working with my Mindful Mandala, I shifted my perspective. I let my teenage daughter Madeline choose the card and the colors.

Mindful Mandala Osho Zen Tarot Color Inspiration – Existence

Inspirational and meditative excerpts from the Existence card.

You are not an accident. Existence needs you. Without you, something will be missing in existence and nobody can replace it. The naked figure sits on the lotus leaf of perfection gazing at the beauty of the night sky. She knows that ‘home’ is not a physical place in the outside world, but an inner quality of relaxation and acceptance. The stars, the rocks, the trees, the flowers, fish and birds – all are our brothers and sisters in this dance of life. We human beings tend to forget this, as we pursue our own private agendas and believe we must fight to get what we need. But ultimately, our sense of separateness is just an illusion, manufactured by the narrow preoccupations of the mind. Now is the time to look at whether you are allowing yourself to receive the extraordinary gift of feeling ‘at home’ wherever you are. If you are, be sure to take time to savor it so it can deepen and remain with you. If on the other hand you’ve been feeling like the world is out to get you, it’s time to take a break. Go outside tonight and look at the stars. (From Osho Zen Tarot – published by St. Martin’s Press)

I really love when things fall into place like there was no other direction for something to go in other than in that specific place. I especially love when symbolism falls into place. When synchronicity rules the day!

Sorry – I got dangerously close to the edge of sounding like a new-age, middle-aged philosophile (is that a word? It should be) in my CROCHET blog. I am rolling my own eyes to save everyone else the trouble. What I’m trying to say is she picked the perfect card and the perfect colors for rounds 16 – 24. These rows were very challenging and I had to pay very close attention – just like I need to do living with an artistic and sometimes overly sensitive teenager struggling with being almost an adult and not wanting to be a grown up. Yarn over!

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27 responses to “Mindful Mandala – Rows 16 – 24”

I rather like that line ‘Existence needs you’. That pretty much puts things in a nutshell, doesn’t it?! My jaw always drops when I see good crochet, because I cannot comprehend how it is accomplished. Such a lovely piece!

Isn’t that a powerful line – three words sums it all up! Thank you for your compliment. I am always surprised myself when I look at something I’m making and think ‘oh my – did I do that?’ especially with this mandala!

Oh and just to be clear – the paragraph about the definition of the card is not my words – it’s from the definition book that came with the deck. I am certainly not that eloquent. 😀 I should be including a reference acknowledgement line for the book too. I worried that my initial response to your lovely comment might seem arrogant and boastful if anyone thought that I wrote that line. 🙂

It’s really coming along. How many rows will the finished piece be? When you do finish you should frame it or put it on display somewhere, then you will be reminded of your mindful journey every time you see it.

It is going to be huge! I’m using a larger hook and yarn than what the pattern uses. She has been really excited with the progress on it. I’m hoping it will entice her into wanting to learn how to crochet. 😀

I thought you would like that card! It’s been my favorite so far too. My absolute favorite card of the deck hasn’t come up yet. I hope it does soon – it’s the Trust card – give Osho Zen Trust a google and check it out if you want!

Thank you Theresa! I like that too – the colors are being chosen by a chance pick of a card, but the meaning behind the cards chosen is making me feel more connected to the Mandala and more connected to myself.

That’s so fun – and that dual aspect is really intriguing. The choice and the meaning. Your project reminds me of a knitting project my daughter just started, where the pattern details are specified by rolls of the dice in a “D&D” style approach. She’s loving it!

My daughter is a very talented artist, painting and drawing, however when I ask her to paint or draw something for me it’s like I asked her to commit some horrific crime! I asked her to draw me a logo for my site and you would have thought I asked her to crawl across a desert or something! 🙂

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